NEWYORK, May 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" ran a show on May 18--repeated throughout this week--that began with an attack on the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and then devolved into an assault on Catholicism:

"And it's easy to start a religion! Watch, I do it for you: I had a vision last night! A vision! The Blessed Virgin Mary came to me--I don't know how she got past the guards--and she told me it's high time to take the high ground from the Seventh Day Adventists and give it to the 24-hour party people. And what happens in the confessional stays in the confessional. Gay men, don't say you're life partners, say you're a nunnery of two. 'We weren't having sex, officer; I was performing a very private Mass, here in my car. I was letting my rod and staff comfort him. Take this and eat of it, [our emphasis] for this is my roommate Barry. And for all those who believe there is a special place for you in Kevin."

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded this way:

"We are writing to the 14 members who sit on the board of directors of Time Warner (the parent company of HBO) asking each of them whether Maher's gratuitous and highly offensive attack on Jesus Christ merits the same punishment afforded Imus for his racist remark. Maher is a serial anti-Catholic bigot who mocked the Eucharist as recently as April 16.

"Time Warner's Standards of Business Conduct--revised last month by the board of directors—includes the following principle: 'While our content may sometimes engender controversy, we want no one to question our character.' We know Maher lacks character. What the public needs to know is whether Time Warner's board has any."